Finally… one brave bishop says sorry
by Peter Hitchens, Mailonline:
Is the panic over? Are we beginning to realise that child abuse allegations – just like all other crimes – must be fairly investigated?
The resignation-prone Child Abuse Inquiry is in trouble precisely because it was based on a crowd-pleasing frenzy. The police are in difficulty because they forgot their job is open-minded investigation – assume nothing, believe nobody, check everything.
Now there is a flicker of good news from the Church of England too.
Trying to look tough on priestly child abuse when it had been feeble, the Church shamefully smeared one of its greatest figures – the late Bishop Bell of Chichester – as a paedophile. This was on the basis of a single, ancient uncorroborated allegation.
Since then, they have angrily refused to consider powerful expert evidence in his defence, or to admit that the secret kangaroo court which condemned Bishop Bell without hearing his side was at fault. Instead, they have attacked their critics, including me.
But there are at last signs that they too are recovering a sense of justice.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
